NF ACOUS NH20

Disclaimer

The NH20s has been sent by NF ACOUS, I really appreciate their support to bring you content about their products.

All of my opinions are my own; I do not receive any payment to promote any product in an unethical manner. And this case was no exception.

My video review: NH20 Review

You can buy them directly on their Web Store:

NF ACOUS NH20 - Normal price $199 USD

4.4MM Balanced cable - Normal price $39 USD

Pros

• Punchy and dynamic bass

• Very detailed treble whitout being harsh

• Very easy to drive

• Comfortable and lightweight

Cons

• Lack of sub bass extension

• Earpads can be a little thin for some people

Accessories

NH20s monitor headphones

1.2m 3.5mm cable

3m 3.5mm cable

1 nylon carrying case

3.5mm-6.35mm adapter

Technical specifications:

Model name: NH20

Transducer Type: 40mm dual magnetic circuit double cavity driver

Frequency response: 5 - 50Khz

Sensitivity: 110 dB/mW @1kHz; Nominal Impedance: 50 Ω

Max SPL: 125dB

Sound - How I perceive it?

One thing I've noticed about this brand—at least in the two models I've tried—is that their signature sound leans a bit toward pronounced highs, controlled lows, and well-defined mids.

With the NM25s, I feel like they lack bass and sub-bass for better monitoring; with these NH20s, I also feel like they're missing just a little bit more sub-bass.

Bass

The bass has enough punch, but I still feel like something’s missing in the sub-bass. The electric bass is very distinct, with the lower midrange slightly emphasized. It doesn’t sound congested at all, but it can be a bit misleading if you’re using it for mixing. That peak in that frequency range is most noticeable on the snare drums.

Midrange

The midrange is very present and doesn't sound nasal. Since the lower midrange is slightly boosted, it gives the sound a robust quality even with slightly high-pitched voices.

They don't sound particularly centered or right in front of you, even though they're a closed-back design and the drivers are very close to the ear. The K702s also have drivers that are quite close to the ear, and with those, voices do sound very close.

Treble

Compared to the M40X and K702, the treble is much better, in my opinion. It’s a bit on the bright side, but not to the point of being annoying; sibilance is very well controlled, and there’s a good sense of openness in the horizontal plane—more than you’d expect from a closed-back design.

DAC/AMPs used:

Fosi K7

Fiio KA13

Arturia Audiofuse

Macbook Air M1 3.5mm jack

PS5 Dualsense 3.5mm jack

Design

As for the design, I think they’re well-built; they weigh 270 grams. The plastic here has a slightly rough texture, and this ring is made of aluminum, as are the logo and the inside of the headband. The exterior is covered in leather-like vinyl, and the interior is lined with a velvety material. They’re a bit thin in my opinion, but they’re comfortable.

The earpads have an almost on-ear fit—they barely cover the entire ear. Like the headband, they feature the leather-like vinyl on the outside and the velvet-like material on the inside. They’re comfortable, but if you have big ears, they might come into contact with the driver, and you’d have to readjust them every so often to avoid discomfort.

For reference, I used the M40X for about four years, and they tend to break in this area; the coating on the inside of the ear pads started to peel off.

I haven’t used these long enough to say for sure that the same thing won’t happen as with the M40X, but at least as far as the ear pads go, I doubt it will. The AKG K702 uses a similar material, and over time, those do get dirty and need to be replaced; you can find replacement ear pads for the AKG model on AliExpress that are very similar to the originals.

Power requeriment:

Since they're designed for monitoring, they're fairly easy to amplify.

Honestly, I didn’t notice a very noticeable difference when using them with different sources via the 3.5 mm connection.

With the 4.4 mm cable, the only difference I noticed was that I could use them at more moderate volumes when using this connection. I’d recommend using them with either of the two cables that come standard—you really wouldn’t be missing out on much.

NH20 VS AKG K702 & Audio Technica M40X

I think they’re better than the K702s in terms of treble definition, with midrange that’s present without sounding nasal, and bass that’s a little more pronounced. I used the AKGs most of the time with Sound ID to boost the bass, but when comparing them as-is without any EQ, I do think the NH20s are better.

Compared to the M40X, I think they’re much better in the highs—they don’t sound as shrill as the Audio-Technica ones. The mids also stand out more. It’s in the bass where I think the M40X might be more impressive on first listen, but with either pair, you’d find some frequencies too prominent and others too subdued. So in that sense, I’ll stick with the NH20.

But here’s the catch: the NH20s cost a little more than twice as much as the M40Xs. Between those two, it’s clear to me that the NF ACOUS is technically better. I’ve tried the M50Xs a couple of times, but only for very short periods, so I can’t say for sure whether I think the NH20s are better in every way.

I think it’s great that you can find them on Amazon MX because one of the drawbacks of Chinese brands—which are surpassing legendary brands in quality—is that they have little presence in stores in other countries.

Soundstage

The soundstage isn't the widest, but it is slightly wider than you might expect for this type of closed-back design.

This is where I think the acoustic design they implemented for the driver in this area does help somewhat.

I don’t notice much sense of depth; the vertical plane is more pronounced upward than to the sides, and this is especially where you can locate instruments that are panned all the way to the left or right.

For gaming, I think they’re good—they offer solid 3D audio reproduction, and since they’re easy to amplify, you won’t need a particularly powerful amplifier. They’ll sound great even when connected directly to a controller or console.

Conclusion

Yes, I can recommend them for their intended purpose; they're technically superior to their competitors, whose models are already well-known on the market. You just need to consider whether it's possible to purchase replacement earpads.